Help me identify a piece of Arabic music
October 10, 2016 3:01 AM Subscribe
Last night I heard a really intriguing piece of Arabic music. I'd like to hear it (or at least something similar to it) again!
Last night I shared a tram with four young men. These men listened to (and occasionally sang along with) a piece of music that was playing on one of their cell phones. Here's what I remember of said piece of music: It was a male singer and it was a live recording (sometimes you could hear the audience sing back to the singer). The singer was only accompanied by very, very sparse percussion and that percussion sounded a bit like a slowed down door shut ("ka-thump"). It was a long piece (they started playing it when I got on the tram and it was still playing when they got off the tram ten minutes later) and I'm fairly sure it was a piece of some kind of Arabic music.
To my ears it all sounded absolutely fantastic: traditional and modern at the same time and the singer had a solemn, very powerful voice. I was very moved by the piece and I really regret not asking the men what they were listening to. I realize it's a tall order to identify this exact piece of music, but perhaps you could help me zoom in on a genre? I'd really appreciate that.
Last night I shared a tram with four young men. These men listened to (and occasionally sang along with) a piece of music that was playing on one of their cell phones. Here's what I remember of said piece of music: It was a male singer and it was a live recording (sometimes you could hear the audience sing back to the singer). The singer was only accompanied by very, very sparse percussion and that percussion sounded a bit like a slowed down door shut ("ka-thump"). It was a long piece (they started playing it when I got on the tram and it was still playing when they got off the tram ten minutes later) and I'm fairly sure it was a piece of some kind of Arabic music.
To my ears it all sounded absolutely fantastic: traditional and modern at the same time and the singer had a solemn, very powerful voice. I was very moved by the piece and I really regret not asking the men what they were listening to. I realize it's a tall order to identify this exact piece of music, but perhaps you could help me zoom in on a genre? I'd really appreciate that.
Maybe Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan? He was typically accompanied by more than just the drum(s) but the instruments in Qawwali accompaniment often play the same melody the singers are singing.
posted by outfielder at 11:05 AM on October 10, 2016
posted by outfielder at 11:05 AM on October 10, 2016
Sorry, should mention that I know Khan was not Arabic, but Pakistani. Those are obviously not the same, but he was the first thing that came to mind based on the rest of your description.
posted by outfielder at 11:52 AM on October 10, 2016
posted by outfielder at 11:52 AM on October 10, 2016
It sounds like you're talking about the Saidi beat (the sound is DUM-Tek) which is used in pretty much every Arabic pop song. It would be impossible to identify. Fares Karam uses it a lot. Did it sound like this at 2:51?
posted by ihaveyourfoot at 1:00 AM on October 11, 2016
posted by ihaveyourfoot at 1:00 AM on October 11, 2016
This is Fares Karam with El Tannoura. My knowledge of the traditional rhythms isn't too hot but that beat is either Saidi or Nawari rhythm. There is a slight difference and in Dabke they tend to use Nawari. The beat would be traditional in any case. Was the singer wailing? Was there a mawwal because that has a solemn feel to it, usually. It occurs at the beginning of a song like a tonal introduction. The fact that you say it was a long piece makes me think it might be Dabke which can last something like 15 minutes. I'll leave this for now until you get back to us.
Last time I asked someone on a bus what he was listening to (because I wanted to buy it), he rolled his eyes, said 'for God's sake' and got off the bus.
posted by ihaveyourfoot at 5:13 AM on October 11, 2016
Last time I asked someone on a bus what he was listening to (because I wanted to buy it), he rolled his eyes, said 'for God's sake' and got off the bus.
posted by ihaveyourfoot at 5:13 AM on October 11, 2016
Response by poster: Thank you all for your kind answers! I really do appreciate them.
It might have been a mawwal, but the singer wasn't backed by any musicians (apart from what might have been a percussionist) and the song wasn't "pop" at all. Imagine someone singing a really solemn mawwal a cappella over a slowed down tape loop of a door being shut (it really did sound like that, it wasn't a beat, per se and the "ka-thump":s were spaced one or two seconds apart) and you kinda sorta have what I heard!
posted by soundofsuburbia at 3:03 PM on October 11, 2016
It might have been a mawwal, but the singer wasn't backed by any musicians (apart from what might have been a percussionist) and the song wasn't "pop" at all. Imagine someone singing a really solemn mawwal a cappella over a slowed down tape loop of a door being shut (it really did sound like that, it wasn't a beat, per se and the "ka-thump":s were spaced one or two seconds apart) and you kinda sorta have what I heard!
posted by soundofsuburbia at 3:03 PM on October 11, 2016
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posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 5:18 AM on October 10, 2016 [2 favorites]